Jefferson Co. students part of Arts Alive

April 25, 2013

CHARLESTON - Student artists and musicians from across the state, including Jefferson County, will be featured at the West Virginia Department of Education's seventh annual Arts Alive celebrating the arts achievement of public schoolchildren.

Arts Alive, which showcases students statewide, includes for the first time an artistic creation by preschool children as part of a yearlong Celebration of West Virginia Universal Pre-K. The event will include performances by the all-state chorus and the Arts Alive dance ensemble, both of which include students from across the state.

The event also will include performances by the Shepherdstown Middle School Jazz Band. Jefferson High School teacher Crissy Crawford and Washington High School teacher Andrea Kilmer will lead the Arts Alive Dance Ensemble, which includes students from both Jefferson County schools. Visual art created by South Jefferson Elementary students also will be on display.

Article Photos

Submitted photo

Jefferson County students will be featured in the seventh annual Arts Alive.

The lobby showcase begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the main performance at 7 p.m. Friday at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences in Charleston. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are available from the Clay Center at 304-561-3500.

"We know that students learn best when they are able to connect different subjects and integrate their learning," said state Superintendent of Schools Jim Phares. "Well-taught arts courses are where creativity, flexibility, innovation, understanding and empathy are consistently required. These are skills that are transferable to many other disciplines."

A 2012 study of students in West Virginia found that those with an arts-rich high school experience scored higher in mathematics and reading/ language arts. This finding generally held true even for students of lower socioeconomic status or with disabilities.

In addition, an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data on 25,000 middle and high school students found that students who were highly involved in the arts performed better on a variety of academic measures than other students. They earned better grades, did better on exams, dropped out of school less, performed more community service and watched less television.

"Years of research show that an education that includes the arts is closely linked to almost everything that we demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity," Phares said.

For more information on Arts Alive, contact John Deskins, arts coordinator for the state Department of Education, at 304-558-5325.